Differentiation

Overview

District 26 holds strongly to the belief that the primary source of acceleration should be individualized student driven differentiation. Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs. Whether teachers differentiate content, process, product, or learning environment, the use of ongoing assessment and flexible grouping makes this a successful approach to instruction.

Our goal is to instruction students in their natural learning environment utilizing best practice for teaching and student learning. Students come to school at various developmental levels. Our teachers are trained to identifying student strengths, target areas for personal growth, and assess preferred learning styles. Professional Development for teachers in D26 focuses on individual student growth and development. Acceleration beyond the classroom grade level is reserved for students who continue to achieve well beyond the level of his/her peer group, and those requiring extensive individualization above that of the norm.